Relive wrestling's glory days at Fanfest

PROVIDED BY GREG PRICE

Rip Hawk (left) is inducted by Gary Hart into the Hall of Heroes at 2007 Fanfest.

Remember the good old days of Mid-Atlantic wrestling ... when Jim Crockett Promotions ruled the roost, the Carolinas was the hotbed of professional wrestling and Charlotte was the pulse of the territory?

Those indeed were special times for a number of fans who had front-row seats to some of the greatest wrestling ever.

Charlotte will again — at least for a weekend — become the center of the old-school wrestling universe when Greg Price brings his annual NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest to the Queen City on Aug. 14-17. The three-day, four-night event, which features stars from the golden era of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, will be held at the Hilton University Place Hotel.

It’s become a labor of love of Price, who promoted his first legends reunion on Super Bowl weekend in 2004, and has followed up each consecutive year.

“If it wasn’t something that I enjoyed so much, I probably wouldn’t be doing it,” Price said last week. “There’s no other reason than for my love of what used to be Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and the NWA, and growing up on those guys and girls. It’s pretty much an effort to not only have fun with that and visit with the folks, but to keep it alive, too, because there aren’t that many ways to keep this going. I figure it’s just one of those childhood things. You hope it goes on and on forever.”

The 44-year-old Price got his first taste of wrestling as a youngster watching the Charlotte-based Mid-Atlantic shows, with Bob Caudle and David Crockett as the announcers, and the Florida Championship Wrestling program with Gordon Solie that made its way into the Charlotte market at the time. Wrestling has been a lifelong obsession of Price — and one that he’s not ready to let go of anytime soon.

Price came up with the idea of doing such an event after attending similar fan conventions and memorabilia shows.

“I had been to several baseball card shows, comic book conventions, and sci-fi and Trekkie conventions. I figured if all these people showed up to see Klingons in costumes, we could possibly do something like that with a wrestling convention.”

Price, who had promoted independent wrestling shows throughout the area over the years, admits he initially was unsure about the kind of response a wrestling convention might get. Not to mention the fact that the event, three years in the making, was going up against Super Bowl Sunday, and the city’s home team Carolina Panthers were playing in the big game.

But his fears were allayed when fans from far and wide turned out for his first event.

“I thought there were probably a few people that felt like I did, but I wasn’t real sure until that first one (fanfest),” he says. “That pretty much told me that there were a lot of us out there who didn’t necessarily watch what wrestling had become today.”

Fanfest was an instant success, although modifications have been made along the way.

“We’ve done a few things differently. It’s morphed into something that’s hopefully a lot of fun for everybody. It’s a summer vacation for a lot of folks. It’s just another signing opportunity for some, but for some fans and also for some wrestlers, it’s a reunion. It’s the one time of the year for all of us to get together and have some fun.”

Price says the popularity of the event is a testament to the area’s distinguished history as part of Jim Crockett Promotions.

“It has to say a lot about the strength and popularity of Jim Crockett Promotions in the ‘70s and ‘80s,” says Price. “Had they not been so successful, I doubt that we could pull something like this off. A lot has to do with TBS and the Saturday night show.”

Fun is the operative word at Fanfest. The popular event has drawn fans from 39 states and as far away as Canada, Great Britain, Australia and Japan. A number of fans, says Price, plan their vacation around the event.

“It’s like a lovefest,” says Price. “There’s something to be said when you walk into a huge hotel ballroom full of people, and they all absolutely love the same thing that you do.”

It’s difficult for Price to narrow down the biggest moment from his seven fanfests, but he’s looking forward to one that hasn’t even happened yet. There’s one very big name who’s making his first appearance at the event, and Price is very excited about it. No less than the man widely regarded as the greatest performer in the history of the sport — 16-time world champion Ric Flair.

“It’s really special to have Ric here this year,” says Price. “We haven’t had everyone else, but we’ve had just about everyone else. Even if there’s never ever another fanfest, at least with having Ric Flair there, we can say he was there.”

Flair, who retired as an active competitor earlier this year, is scheduled to make a three-hour appearance on Friday. Not surprisingly, says Price, tickets to that part of the event have sold out, as have tickets to the Hall of Heroes dinner banquet and awards ceremony later that evening.

Last year’s inaugural Hall of Heroes banquet also was special, says Price, but bittersweet as well.

“The banquet last year when Gary Hart (who died earlier this year) was there to present the awards to Rip Hawk and (the late) Swede Hanson and children was very special. One of the most special moments that first year was having Bob Caudle and David Crockett on the stage together when we opened up and doing the old TV intro. Just having them on the stage together was a treat for the fans and myself. That was something special. In 2005 we had many of the older NWA champs like Dory and Terry Funk, Jack and Jerry Brisco, and Harley Race. Those all were great moments.”

“Of course, Bret Hart’s appearance here in 2005, a Brisco Brothers Q&A in November 2004 and a rare appearance by the late Ernie Ladd in 2006 were very special moments as well,” he adds.

Last year’s Hall of Heroes inductees included Caudle, Hawk and Hanson, Gene and Ole Anderson, George Scott and the late Penny Banner.

One of this year’s highlights will be the induction of the Class of 2008 Hall of Heroes where wrestling pioneers will be honored for their lifetime achievements. Ivan Koloff will be inducted by Superstar Billy Graham; Paul Jones will be inducted by Jack Brisco; Thunderbolt Patterson will be inducted by Tony Atlas; Johnny Weaver will be inducted posthumously by Rip Hawk; Bob Caudle will be inducted by Sandy Scott; and Buddy Roberts will be inducted by fellow Freebird Michael Hayes.

Grizzly Smith, formerly one half of The Kentuckians and father of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, was to have been inducted by The Assassin (Jody Hamilton), but due to medical reasons, both will be unable to appear. Price says Smith still will be placed in the Hall, and Sam Houston will accept the award on behalf of his father.

This year’s lineup, says Price, is one of the most impressive to date.

In addition to the aforementioned names, also scheduled to appear during Fanfest are Ole Anderson, J.J. Dillon, Bruno Sammartino, Baron Von Raschke, Sir Oliver Humperdink, Ted DiBiase, Jimmy Garvin and Precious, Don and Rocky Kernodle, Ken Patera, Tommy Young and Bill White. Bob Caudle, the voice of Mid-Atlantic wrestling for many years, will be on hand as well, along with fellow announcers Rich Landrum and Chris Cruise.

Fanfest activities kick off on Thursday evening with a VIP-only, roundtable question-and-answer session hosted by former WCW Worldwide TV show host Cruise. Daytime festivities center around the autograph stage and photo ops.

Fanfest is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. The Hall of Heroes dinner banquet and awards ceremony will be held 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday. Former WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation) world champs Sammartino and Graham also will be featured in a Sunday morning question-and-answer session. Two nights of live wrestling matches will be showcased during Fanfest weekend.

Exhibitors from all over the country will be on hand each day selling wrestling-related merchandise and memorabilia. Exhibitor guests include Road Warrior Animal, Scott Hall, Kevin Sullivan, Baby Doll, Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, Terri Runnels, ODB, Velvet Sky, Angelina Love, SoCal Val, Dawn Marie, Daffney, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Manny Fernandez, George “The Animal” Steele, Adam Bomb, Virgil, The Barbarian, Brad Armstrong, Robert Fuller, Jimmy Golden, Mike Graham, Dutch Mantell and Ron Simmons.

There’s a little of everything for fans throughout the weekend.

“Each year we’ve managed to tweak a few things and add a few things here and there,” says Price. “Some things have worked and some things haven’t, so hopefully we’ve narrowed the schedules and activities down to where it’s a well-rounded weekend. If you like autographs and taking pictures with wrestlers, or if you like listening to them talk with friends and tell stories, it’s all part of the weekend. Plus we have two nights of wrestling matches. We try to have a little something for everybody. I’m into it all. I’m a little prejudice in that my favorite part of the weekend is that banquet on Friday night. But I like all of it.”

Price admits that he’ll be one of the biggest fans at Fanfest. The weekend, he says, will be wrestling fan heaven for him.

What many of the fans don’t see, however, is the tremendous amount of work that goes into putting on the weekend celebration. Price logs hundreds of hours in preparing for an event of such magnitude. But, he says, it’s worth every minute of it.

“I don’t sleep for five days. I don’t want to miss any of it, so when it’s all over, I’m practically dead. But it’s a lot of fun.”

For some of the wrestlers, it’s a chance to make a payday, but moreover a chance to relive their glory days in the ring, see old friends and reconnect with longtime fans.

“For guys like Ole Anderson, Paul Jones, (the late) Gary Hart and Sir Oliver Humperdink, it’s more than just a chance to come and sign autographs and get their money and get out of there,” says Price. “Those guys want to be there on Thursday night before the doors open, and they don’t want to leave until Sunday when everything shuts down. They appreciate being able to relive that too. It’s fun for everyone.”

And Charlotte, says Price, continues to be the ideal location for the event. Surprisingly enough, the vast majority of fans who attend the gathering come from outside the immediate area.

“I love it here. I love the hotel we have here. I love everything about the situation. But 90 percent of the people who come to the event are from somewhere other than Charlotte. It’s nice to know that people are traveling from 39 states. I’m proud of this. When those people come to Charlotte 20 and 30 years after the fact from all over, that’s a little amazing to me. I’m sure we could go to Memphis and do something there, but I just think Charlotte is a great location, and I think about just how hot it was in the heyday of Mid-Atlantic wrestling. Thank goodness for that.”

Price says he’s not interested in moving the event, but would consider adding new locations to the mix.

“This year’s fanfest weekend will be our seventh, all in Charlotte except August 2004 in Fayetteville, N.C., and August 2006 in Rockville, Md. Neither was on the same level as Charlotte ... We’re not really interested in ‘moving,’ but we’ve long considered doing similar events at different times in different towns. Atlanta has been at the top of that ‘want list’ for a long time.”

There are few places, he says, that rival Charlotte for wrestling tradition.

“We’ve been lucky. The Crocketts have been helpful, and I’m very appreciative of their support. The fans are the best in the world. Some of them drive 15 and 16 hours to get here.”

If you’re a lifelong wrestling fan — especially one who was weaned on Mid-Atlantic wrestling and stars like “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, “No. 1” Paul Jones and Rip “The Profile” Hawk — Fanfest is a chance to honor tradition and connect with fans who shared your same childhood experiences. It’s an event not to be missed, says Price, especially if you remember just how good the good old days really were.

“If you miss it, if you procrastinate, you’re missing out,” says Price. “If you’re a fan of wrestling the way it used to be, there’s nothing else in this world like Fanfest weekend. It’s three days and four nights of wrestling and the wrestlers you grew up with in personal situation where you have a chance to chit-chat and get autographs and get your picture taken with the guys you grew up with watching on TV. It’s really hard to explain what the weekend’s like. It’s a good time for everybody. I don’t think anyone would say anything bad about the event.”

For more information on Fanfest, visit NWALegends.com.

- George’s Sports Bar, 1300 Savannah Highway, will air the Great American Bash pay-per-view at 8 p.m. today. Cover charge is $7.

Reach Mike Mooneyham at (843) 937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com. For wrestling updates during the week, call The Post and Courier Info Line at (843) 937-6000, ext. 3090.